"Sundaegukbap," above, hot soup made with Korean blood sausage, is one of a variety of similar dishes served in Korea. Korea Times file By Ko Dong-hwan "Gukbap" is gaining popularity among foreign nationals in the country as the soup dish made with various ingredients and coupled with rice is gaining ever-growing attention through its appearance in Korean media content, according to industry observers Thursday. The trend is evident in tourist hotspots like the Hongdae area in western Seoul, where foreign diners waiting in line to enter gukbap restaurants has become a ubiquitous scene. An Italian fan of K-pop boy band Stray Kids said she had learned the stars liked gukbap and wanted to taste it herself. A German visitor said he used to find long queues in front of a gukbap restaurant near his lodgings and it interested him enough to try it for himself. A Korean who works in the area added that nearby restaurants selling gukbap or "kimchi jjigae" (kimchi stew) are half-crowded with foreign diners these days during lunch or dinner hours. Gukbap restaurants at tourist hotspots have also been embracing the rising number of foreign customers, offering menus written in English and Chinese and setting up kiosks in various languages. "Following the COVID-19 pandemic, we've seen a huge influx of foreign visitors," an employee at one of the gukbap restaurants in the Hongdae neighborhood said. "Many of our customers waiting for their tables are foreigners. Some even have luggage with them." People wait for tables at one of the many "gukbap" restaurants in the Hongdae neighborhood of western Seoul in May. Screen capture from Naver blog Gukbap, which has been among Korea's staple dishes for centuries and is still beloved today for its affordable price and variety, has stirred a fandom outside the country following its frequent exposure in globally popular media content. With the rise of K-pop, TV shows, movies and foods among global consumers, chances for gukbap to be recognized by global foodies through various media platforms have grown exponentially. "The Hungry and the Hairy," a 2021 Korean reality show on Netflix featuring comedian Noh Hong-chul and singer-and-actor Rain, focused on the duo eating gukbap in various restaurants nationwide while traveling around on their motorcycles, which garnered attention overseas. There is a countless number of YouTube videos featuring not just Korean celebrities but foreign people grimacing and slurping on boiling-hot gukbap at local restaurants here. Their reviews are mostly positive. The growing popularity of Korean steamed rice among Western households has contributed to gukbap's rising presence overseas. CJ Cheiljedang, which exports instant steamed rice, registered sales of 160 billion won ($116 million) last year in North America, a 20.6 percent jump from the previous year and almost double from 2021 in the continent. "Rice has gained recognition outside Korea as a healthier carbohydrate," an industry expert said. "People in North America and other parts of the world consume carbohydrates mostly through bread or fried rice, but they are either loaded with gluten or too salty."
